St. Paul teen charged with trying to kill fetus

The St. Paul teen accused of punching the mother of his unborn child in the stomach in an attempt to kill the fetus allegedly told a police officer he would "love" for the woman to have a miscarriage and made up a song about killing the child, according to a criminal complaint.

Jessy Jordan Holtzkamp, 18, was charged Monday in Pierce County, Wis., Circuit Court with attempted first-degree homicide of an unborn child, aggravated battery of an unborn child and battery. He was being held Tuesday in the Pierce County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond.

"We believe in the American justice system," said his defense attorney, Aaron A. Nelson. "Mr. Holtzkamp is looking forward to his day in court so that the jury can decide based upon the real facts."

Holtzkamp was arrested outside the River Heights Motel in Prescott the evening of July 10 after police responded to a call of a woman possibly having a miscarriage.

An officer found Krystal Alters-Meulemans, 27, who was about three months pregnant, lying on a motel bed in the fetal position and crying. She told the officer her stomach hurt and she appeared to be in great pain. When questioned by the officer, she said Holtzkamp had punched her in the stomach several times in an effort to end her pregnancy, according to the criminal complaint.

A motel worker, who had called 911, told police she had received multiple complaints from other motel patrons of fighting and possible abuse coming from the room, and she had to tell the pair to stop fighting several times, the complaint states.

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Alters-Meulemans later told police she would not answer any more questions and would not testify against Holtzkamp, according to the complaint. She was taken by ambulance to a hospital for an evaluation and has since been released. She did not lose the child, Prescott Police Chief Mike Bondarenko said Tuesday.

Holtzkamp told police that he and Alters-Meulemans got into an argument that day in the motel room that turned into a screaming match. He said he only "poked" Alters-Meulemans' stomach and then said he "pokes it with a punch," the complaint states. He later said he had not punched her during the altercation.

Holtzkamp, a second-year high school senior, told an officer he was too young to be a father and wanted the unborn child to be aborted or not be born alive, according to the complaint.

When the officer told Holtzkamp his situation would be worsened if Alters-Meulemans suffered a miscarriage, he replied, "Why I wanted that to happen; I would love for that to happen," according to the complaint.

After he was advised he was being booked into jail on suspicion of attempted first-degree homicide of an unborn child, Holtzkamp "started making himself out to be a celebrity, stating, 'We got a murderer up in here,' " and then started singing a song about killing the baby, the complaint states.

When an officer asked him if he felt any remorse for trying to kill the fetus, he replied, "Hell naw," according to the complaint.

The attempted homicide charge carries a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison. A bail hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday.